[Albion] Premier League 12-15/03/21

[Driver8]

Everton must be the most inconsistent team in the league.

They are complete dogshit today.

 

[Steve Foster]

Two cracking goals by Burnley. Other than Bissouma (once a year) wouldn’t it be refreshing if we could shoot from distance & on target ... sometimes

 

[Deadly Danson]

Doesnt matter. Burnley are going nowhere. Its Brighton, Fulham or Newcastle.

Probably right but had they lost this, they would have been 4 points ahead of us and us with 2 games in hand. Right in the mix whatever anyone thinks. Win this and they will probably be near enough home and hosed.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Everton must be the most inconsistent team in the league.

They are complete dogshit today.

They’ll be on top form against us, don’t worry. They also score way above their xG, I think they are +12 where as we are about -12.

 

[Swansman]

Didnt expect my 2.5+ goals bet to be settled in the first half... I dont mind.

 

[Motogull]

The antifootballers get a penalty and hang on for the win. Textbook.

Now come on Everton.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Burnley seem to have turned into peak Brazil

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Hodgson’s simply doing what George Graham, Bassett, Gould, Pulis, Dyche and many others have done since the game was created.

A mass defence of giants with loads of midfield cover, hellbent on not conceding. The aim to nick a win, at worst get a draw.

Mind numbingly boring for the neutral, unfortunately it’s tried and tested.

It preserves their EPL status and access to well over £100m per season ad infinitum.


Whereas we’re attempting something for the purists. We have exactly half the number of their EPL wins and are on a relegation knife edge.

We’re nicer to watch, but the risks are huge and we very rarely have the joy of a win.

And who would I rather watch? Tribal loyalty aside, as a neutral I'd take us, Norwich and Wolves over Palarse, Boro and Bumley any day (and I realise the latter are winning at Everton).

 

[Motogull]

Flidford subbed off. Gotta be good news.

 

[Weststander]

Its easy to forget the infinite number of managers/teams that tried the same thing, got relegated and forgotten.

Not to forget: then what happens to those clubs? At one point either their magical result fixer leaves or they simply go down and then there they are in the Championship, where they are no longer unique - they are simply a Championship club with Championship players on Premier League wages and they either end up deep in the shit like Bolton or they spend 20 years or more in lower divisions trying to pay for the approach that everyone thought were pragmatic but ultimately ended up naive, because its no sustainable way to run a football club.

Brighton are as likely as any of the small fishes to go down if not this year then at some point, but there's some mechanisms in the club that will allow it to bounce up relatively quickly in case that happens, and at some point in the future its realistic to dream about an extended run in the PL, independent of managers and players coming and going.

I’m pro Potter btw and have been throughout.

I’ve seen teams like George Graham’s and Dave Bassett’s over 45 years. Personally, even as a kid, I hated it. Towering CB’s, strong arm tactics, from the first second 8 or 9 outfield players with drilled defensive discipline. A Fulham season ticket holder took me home and away in the Hodgson era on many occasions. I had had this rose tinted preconception of a swashbuckling team with Clint Dempsey and others tearing the EPL apart. Instead, I could see how Hodgson suffocated the life out of games, sometimes away Fulham barely made a single chance. The famous Fulham Europe League run was an exception, bizarrely they played adventurous football until the semis. So I had an inside track that England under Hodgson were going to be awful in tournaments before it happened, dour and functional .... and so it came to be. [I’d guess that Swedes who recall the younger Hodgson have a soft spot for him?].

I’m open minded that we’d bounce straight back up. The Championship is a huge challenge, 46 physical cup finals. Will some key players walk out on us ... for a fee?

I bet that 22 months into the DA/GP regime, TB never envisaged we’d be on a relegation knife edge. I would imagine that he thought our strategy would’ve yielded far more wins and a progression in points. He doesn’t leave things to chance, EPL survival everything in financial terms.

 

[Easy 10]

Everton have been humped at home by Newcastle and Fulham, and have opened their legs high and wide for Burnley as well this evening. Not done us many favours have they.

 

[Swansman]

Flidford subbed off. Gotta be good news.

Second keeper (Olsen) - better than Pickford imho - also injured, going to be interesting to see what this young Portugese can do.

 

[pasty]

Didnt expect my 2.5+ goals bet to be settled in the first half... I dont mind.

Just need Holgate booked and I'll be v. happy

 

[Questions]

The Dream.

Rearrange these words into a well known Phrase ......Burnley a club that their fans can be totally proud of considering the financial constraints they themselves within but do as well as they do although all the snotty twats miss this and carry on with their pompous total football comments............

Having said that come on Everton.

 

[The Fits]

Burnley have been very good. Everton very inconsistent this season.

 

[BN41Albion]

Everton have been humped at home by Newcastle and Fulham, and have opened their legs high and wide for Burnley as well this evening. Not done us many favours have they.

They've been shit at home this season.
Beat us comfortably at home though, of course.

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Dyche should be on an absolute fortune at Burnley.

 

[Swansman]

I’m pro Potter btw and have been throughout.

I’ve seen teams like George Graham’s and Dave Bassett’s over 45 years. Personally, even as a kid, I hated it. Towering CB’s, strong arm tactics, from the first second 8 or 9 outfield players with drilled defensive discipline. A Fulham season ticket holder took me home and away in the Hodgson era on many occasions. I had had this rose tinted preconception of a swashbuckling team with Clint Dempsey and others tearing the EPL apart. Instead, I could see how Hodgson suffocated the life out of games, sometimes away Fulham barely made a single chance. The famous Fulham Europe League run was an exception, bizarrely they played adventurous football until the semis. So I had an inside track that England under Hodgson were going to be awful in tournaments before it happened, dour and functional .... and so it came to be. [I’d guess that Swedes who recall the younger Hodgson have a soft spot for him?].

I’m open minded that we’d bounce straight back up. The Championship is a huge challenge, 46 physical cup finals. Will some key players walk out on us?

I bet that 22 months into the DA/GP regime, TB never envisaged we’d be on a relegation knife edge. I would imagine that he thought our strategy would’ve yielded far more wins and a progression in points. He doesn’t leave things to chance, EPL survival everything in financial terms.

Not saying its not working, but I dont know if its a better survival strategy than any other - plenty of times these Bassett type of managers fail and go down but its easier to remember the times they didnt.

As for Hodgson in Sweden... sweet spot, I dont know. Attendances fell like 50% (from ca 10 000 to 5000) when he was around and influenced every manager to be like him. I'm sure old Halmstad and Malmö fans like him though.

Bouncing straight back up may or may not happen but I'm sure that it wont take long whatever manager/players, as long as TB is running the club. And I agree he probably didnt envisage the club to be in the current situation but I also think the covid pandemic probably immediatly made him understand that it could happen, and there's no doubt he knew even before that that the club could go down even if its not "part of the plan". I dont think he is happy but also not shocked/surprised.

 

[Easy 10]

They've been shit at home this season.
Beat us comfortably at home though, of course.

Naturally.

We never get anything at Goodison, except a pasting. Same with Chelsea.

 

[Questions]

Dyche should be on an absolute fortune at Burnley.

He performs great things with that club. The thing is he was building nicely at Watford before the usual foreign owners came in and sniffed.